Enlargement

THE EUROPEAN
UNION
EXPLAINED
Enlargement
Extending
European
values and
standards to
more countries
T he E U ’s enl ar gem en t p o l ic y m akes
Eur o p e a s afer an d a m o r e s t ab l e
p l ac e; it al l ows us t o gr ow s t r o n ger
and t o p r o m o t e o ur val ues , and
enab l es us t o as s um e o ur r o l e as a
gl o b al p l ayer o n t he wo r l d s t age.
CONTENTS
Why the EU is enlarging . . . . . . . . . . . 3
THE EUROPEAN UNION
EXPLAINED
This publication is a part of a series that explains
what the EU does in different policy areas,
why the EU is involved and what the results are.
How the enlargement
process works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
What EU enlargement achieves . . . . 11
Outlook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Find out more . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
You can find the publications online:
http://europa.eu/pol/index_en.htm
http://europa.eu/!bY34KD
How the EU works
Europe in 12 lessons
Europe 2020: Europe’s growth strategy
The founding fathers of the EU
Agriculture
Banking and finance
Borders and security
Budget
Climate action
Competition
Consumers
Culture and audiovisual
Customs
Digital agenda
Economic and monetary union and the euro
Education, training, youth and sport
Employment and social affairs
Energy
Enlargement
Enterprise
Environment
Fight against fraud
Food safety
Foreign affairs and security policy
Humanitarian aid and civil protection
Internal market
International cooperation and development
Justice, fundamental rights and equality
Maritime affairs and fisheries
Migration and asylum
Public health
Regional policy
Research and innovation
Taxation
Trade
Transport
The European Union explained: Enlargement
European Commission
Directorate-General for Communication
Citizens information
1049 Brussels
BELGIUM
Manuscript updated in June 2015
Cover and page 2 picture:
© Digital Vision/Getty Images
16 pp. — 21 × 29.7 cm
Print ISBN 978-92-79-49191-7 doi:10.2775/408622
PDF ISBN 978-92-79-49209-9 doi:10.2775/809205
Luxembourg: Publications Office
of the European Union, 2015
© European Union, 2015
Reproduction is authorised. For any use or reproduction
of individual photos, permission must be sought directly
from the copyright holders.
3
E N L A R G E M E N T
Why the EU is enlarging
The European Union was created in the 1950s to foster
peace, prosperity and European values on the continent.
Its purpose is as relevant today as it was then.
Having grown from six to 28 members, stretching from
the Atlantic to the Black Sea, the EU has become home
to over 500 million people.
Benefits for all
Enlargement serves the interests of Member States
as well as acceding countries. It makes Europe a safer
and more prosperous place, in particular through its
promotion of democracy and fundamental freedoms,
the rule of law and the single market.
The benefits of the single market are considerable:
economic growth leading to higher living standards,
safer consumer goods, lower prices and greater choice
in sectors such as telecommunications, banking and air
travel, to name but a few. These benefits have been
© EU
The EU is open to all democratic European countries
that wish to join. The EU’s enlargement policy
accompanies this process.
Croatia, which became an EU member in 2013, is well-known
for its ancient coastal cities, such as Split.
enjoyed by an increasing number of people as the EU
has grown in size.
The EU is above all a community of values. We are a
family of democratic European countries committed to
working together for peace and freedom, prosperity and
social justice. And we defend these values. We seek to
deepen the solidarity between the peoples of Europe,
while respecting and preserving our diversity.
Enlargement creates growth
Economically, enlargement has benefited all EU Member States as it has broken down trade barriers in Europe
and created a bigger and more prosperous internal market:
20042013
GDP of the 12 ‘new’ EU countries that joined in 2004 and 2007
billion euro billion euro
577
1 026
+ 77 %
10 047
11 999
+ 19 %
Trade between the ‘old’ and ‘new’ EU countries 162
300
+ 185 %
Direct investments held by the ‘old’ EU countries in the ‘new’ EU countries ((*) 2012)
173 GDP of the 15 ‘old’ EU countries that were members of the EU before 2004
564 (*) + 326 %
4
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Successive enlargements
UNSCR 1244/ ICJ 22.07.2010
Kıbrıs
1952
1973
1981
1986
1995
2004
2007
2013
Candidate countries and potential candidates
The European Economic Community, founded in the
1950s and now known as the European Union,
originally had six members: Belgium, Germany,
France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.
In 1973, Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom
became Member States. Greece joined in 1981, and
Spain and Portugal followed in 1986. Austria,
Finland and Sweden joined in 1995.
In 2004, in the EU’s biggest-ever enlargement,
Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia,
Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia
became Member States. Three years later, in 2007,
Bulgaria and Romania joined.
Croatia joined the EU on 1 July 2013, bringing the
total number of Member States to 28.
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E N L A R G E M E N T
How the enlargement process works
In the 1950s, leaders of six countries, still recovering
from the ravages of war, started what we today call the
European Union.
1. political: stable institutions guaranteeing democracy,
the rule of law, human rights and respect for and
protection of minorities;
It was an unprecedented step, one that required much
courage and vision: countries that had fought each
other for centuries agreed to act together on essential
questions concerning their common future.
2. economic: a functioning market economy and the
capacity to cope with competition and market forces in
the EU;
They also agreed to transfer some of their powers to
a new level, to what we now simply refer to as the
European Union.
The EU has been a historic success. It has brought the
longest period of peace and an unparalleled level of
prosperity to its peoples. What began as a club of six
now encompasses 28 countries with a population of
more than 500 million. The founding fathers had an
inclusive vision of Europe, leaving the door open for
other democratic European countries to join. Helping
countries that have the vocation to become members
has been a constant task of the EU in the past five
decades, promoting economic growth and solidarity
and supporting democratic forces in countries emerging
from dictatorship.
Who can join?
Article 49 of the Treaty on European Union states
that any European country may apply for membership
if it respects the democratic values of the EU and is
committed to promoting them.
A country can only become a member if it fulfils the
criteria and conditions for accession as defined by the
EU leaders at their summit in Copenhagen in 1993, and
by a number of subsequent EU decisions. The so-called
Copenhagen criteria are:
3. the ability to take on the obligations of
membership, including adherence to the aims of
political, economic and monetary union.
In addition, the EU must be able to integrate new
members, so it reserves the right to decide when it is
ready to accept them.
For the western Balkans, the membership candidates
must also engage in regional cooperation and good
relations with neighbouring countries (the so-called
‘Stabilisation and association process conditionality’).
Article 2, Treaty on European Union
The Union is founded on the values of respect for
human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the
rule of law and respect for human rights, including
the rights of persons belonging to minorities. These
values are common to the Member States …
Article 49, Treaty on European Union
Any European State which respects the values
referred to in Article 2 and is committed to
promoting them may apply to become a member of
the Union.
6
Who decides?
New members are admitted with the unanimous
consent of the EU Member States.
When a country applies to join the EU, the Member
States’ governments, represented in the Council, first
decide whether or not to accept the application. The
Member States then decide, on the basis of an opinion
from the European Commission, whether to grant
candidate status to the applicant as well as to open
accession negotiations. Similarly, the Member States
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decide when and on what terms to open and to close
negotiations with the candidate on each policy area, in
the light of recommendations from the Commission.
When accession negotiations have been satisfactorily
completed, an accession treaty is drafted and signed
by the Member States and the candidate concerned.
The European Parliament, whose members are elected
directly by the EU’s citizens, also has to give its consent.
The treaty then has to be ratified by all the Member
States and the acceding country, in accordance with
their constitutionally established procedures.
Where do we stand?
The European Union enlargement agenda covers the
western Balkans and Turkey. All EU Member States
have confirmed that these countries have a
‘European perspective’. It means that they might join
the EU if they fulfil all the necessary conditions.
They are at different stages in the process.
Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo are potential
candidates.
Iceland applied for membership in 2009, but
negotiations were put on hold in 2013 at the request
of the country itself.
Albania, the former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey are
candidate countries. Accession negotiations are
ongoing with Montenegro,
Serbia and Turkey. The
Commission has also
recommended the opening of
accession negotiations with
the former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Serbia
Kosovo
Montenegro
Albania
The former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia
7. Turkey
1
2
4 3
5
6
7
7
E N L A R G E M E N T
© EU
Countries in figures
Candidate and
potential candidate
countries
Per capita
gross domestic
product (PPS (1))
Area
(1 000 km)
Population
(million)
Albania
27
2.9
7 800
Bosnia and
Herzegovina
51
3.8
7 800
The former
Yugoslav Republic
of Macedonia
25
2.1
10 000
Kosovo (*)
11
1.8
Montenegro
13
0.6
10 600
Serbia
77
7.1
9 500
Turkey
770
76.7
14 400
4 290
508
25 700
The 28 EU
countries together
Figures are for 2014. Source: Eurostat.
(*) This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with
UNSCR 1 244 and the ICJ opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.
(1) Gross domestic product is the total value of all goods and services produced
within a country in a year. It is often used to express wealth. PPS, or purchasing
power standard, is a unit representing an identical volume of goods and services
in each country, irrespective of price levels.
To ensure that enlargement brings maximum benefits to
both the EU and the countries in the process of joining
it, the accession process needs to be carefully managed.
Candidates have to demonstrate that they will be able
to fully play their part as members — something that
requires support from their citizens, as well as political
and technical compliance with the EU’s standards and
norms. Throughout the process, the EU sets conditions for
the countries to move from one stage to the next.
Albania uses hydropower to generate 90 % of its electricity. A
new hydropower plant project on the Devoll River in southern
Albania will increase the country’s electricity output by 17 %
and provide power to 300 000 Albanian households.
depends on the candidate’s progress in meeting
the requirements. Candidates consequently have
an incentive to implement the necessary reforms
rapidly and effectively. Some of these reforms require
considerable and sometimes difficult transformations
of a country’s political and economic structures. It
is therefore important that governments clearly and
convincingly communicate the reasons for these
reforms to their citizens. Support from civil society is
essential in this process.
The opening of accession negotiations is decided on by
the European Council upon a recommendation of the
Commission, once the candidate country sufficiently
meets the Copenhagen political criteria and possible
other conditions.
Accession negotiations
Screening
Accession negotiations concern the candidate’s ability to
take on the obligations of membership. They focus on
the conditions and timing of the candidate’s adoption,
implementation and application of the existing EU
laws and rules — amounting to some 100 000 pages.
The rules as such (also known as the acquis, French
for ‘that which has been adopted’) are not negotiable.
Negotiations are essentially a matter of agreeing on
how and when the candidate will adopt and effectively
implement EU rules and procedures.
To facilitate the negotiations, the whole body of EU law
is divided into chapters, each corresponding to a policy
area. The first step in negotiations is called screening;
its purpose is to explain the acquis to the candidate and
to identify areas in need of alignment in its legislation,
institutions or practices.
Negotiations are conducted between the EU Member
States and the candidate country; their pace mostly
As a basis for launching the negotiation process, the
Commission establishes a screening report for each
chapter. These reports are submitted to the Council. The
Commission makes a recommendation on whether to
open negotiations on a chapter, or require that certain
conditions (or benchmarks) be met first.
© EU
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Reporting and monitoring
The Commission keeps the European Parliament and
the Council informed about the aspiring countries’
progress, through annual strategy papers and
individual country progress reports. It also monitors
the respect by the candidate of the commitments it has
undertaken during the negotiations.
Monitoring continues until accession. This makes
it possible to give additional guidance as countries
assume the responsibilities of membership, and also
guarantees to the current Member States that new
entrants meet the conditions for accession.
Kosovo is home to the youngest population in Europe with a
median age of around 27 years.
Once the Member States decide, on the basis of a
Commission assessment, that the opening benchmarks
are met, the candidate country submits a negotiating
position. The Council then adopts an EU common
position based again on a Commission proposal
allowing the opening of the negotiations on the chapter.
The EU common position also includes the conditions
(benchmarks) for closing the chapter.
Accession treaty
When negotiations on all the chapters have been
completed to the satisfaction of both sides, the
results are incorporated into a draft accession treaty.
The Commission is then consulted and the European
Parliament has to give its consent. The treaty is then
signed and ratified by the candidate country and all the
Member States
© EU
When the closing benchmarks have been met, the
Member States adopt a new common position (always
on the basis of Commission drafts) that concludes that
the chapter can be closed — but only provisionally. EU
accession negotiations operate on the principle that
‘nothing is agreed until everything is agreed’, so the
definitive closure of chapters occurs only at the end of
the entire negotiating process.
Lake Ohrid, located on the
border between the former
Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia and Albania, is
the oldest lake in Europe. It
is home to a great number of
species of plants and
animals that cannot be
found anywhere else.
E N L A R G E M E N T
9
© EU
The Sarajevo Film Festival
(in Bosnia and Herzegovina)
is the largest film festival in
south-east Europe and one
of the largest in Europe.
From signing the accession treaty to
accession
Once the accession treaty has been signed, the
acceding state is entitled to certain provisional
privileges. It acquires ‘active observer status’ in most
EU bodies and agencies, where it is entitled to speak,
but not to vote; it can comment on draft EU proposals,
communications, recommendations or initiatives. Once
the ratification process is complete, the accession
treaty enters into force on its scheduled date, and the
acceding state becomes an EU Member State.
The EU assists the enlargement countries to become
competitive market economies. As part of that, the EU
supports economic reforms. Enlargement countries need
to carry out significant reforms to ensure that EU rules
are adopted, but also properly implemented. They may
also have to set up new bodies, such as an independent
competition authority or a food standards agency.
Or they may need to restructure existing institutions:
demilitarising the police, upgrading environmental
watchdogs or giving prosecutors more autonomy in
combating corruption.
To help the countries prepare for future membership,
the EU has a pre-accession strategy. Key elements
of this strategy are the association agreements
(stabilisation and association agreements in the case
of the western Balkans), EU financial assistance and
participation in EU programmes.
These reforms imply major investments in both
know-how and funds. The EU offers a wide range of
programmes and mechanisms to provide financial
and technical assistance in carrying out these
reforms. Aware of the challenges that reforms can
present to citizens in the countries concerned, the EU
also promotes public understanding of the accession
process. This is done, for instance, through dialogues
with civil society, such as trade unions, consumer
associations and other non-governmental organisations.
The enlargement countries’ contractual framework for
relations with the EU is established through association
agreements. For example, Turkey’s formal links with
the EU are enshrined in an association agreement
signed in 1963 (the Ankara Agreement) and extended
to a customs union in 1995. For the countries of the
western Balkans, a special process, the stabilisation and
association process (SAP), was established in 1999.
An important aspect of the EU’s assistance is
strengthening the ‘institutional capacity’. This
essentially means ensuring that the public sector in the
aspiring country knows in practice how to work with EU
matters — and to work effectively and democratically
in general. The EU helps by developing the structures
or training the staff responsible for applying EU rules.
Advice on implementing the acquis is often provided.
Helping future members prepare
10
via ‘twinning’ arrangements, in which experts are
seconded from EU Member States, or by means of short
workshops.
Preparing countries for membership also means helping
them to upgrade their infrastructure, such as building
solid-waste disposal plants or improving transport
networks by means of a combination of EU grants and
loans from international financial institutions.
Enlargement countries are allowed to participate in EU
programmes, for example, in the areas of public health,
research or education. This experience allows them to
learn how to handle the kind of funding they will be
entitled to after accession, also helping to familiarise
them with EU policies and instruments.
EU support
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IPA-supported projects aim to strengthen democratic
institutions and the rule of law, reform public
administration, support economic reforms, promote
respect for human as well as minority rights and gender
equality, support the development of civil society
and advance regional cooperation, and contribute to
sustainable development and poverty reduction. IPA
funding thus supports the adoption and implementation
of the requirements for membership.
The total pre-accession funding for the period 2014–20
is expected to be about €11.7 billion, with precise
allocations decided year by year.
Pre-accession assistance from the EU in
2013, million €
Albania
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Croatia
The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
95.3
108.8
93.5
113.2
Kosovo
71.4
Montenegro
34.5
Serbia
208.3
Turkey
902.9
Multi-beneficiary programme
177.2
© EU
EU financial assistance helps the countries to build
their capacity to adopt and implement European
standards. From 1991 to 2011 the EU provided over
€16 billion in assistance to the western Balkans, some
of the highest per capita assistance in the world. Since
2007, candidate countries and potential candidates
have been receiving EU funding and support through
the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance, or IPA.
The EU and national authorities of the countries in
question decide on the areas where the funds should be
invested.
T H E
The Tara River canyon, located in northern Montenegro, is the longest in Europe.
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What EU enlargement achieves
The EU delivers considerable economic and social
benefits for both ‘old’ and ‘new’ Member States.
The ‘new’ countries have generally had higher economic
growth than the ‘old’ ones. This enabled them to move
from a gross domestic product (GDP) per capita that
was 40 % of the 15 ‘old’ countries in 1999 to 60 % in
2012.
‘NEW’ EU COUNTRIES CATCH UP IN WEALTH
70
In addition to increased prosperity, the enlargement
process also promoted stability, security and the rule of
law to those countries joining the EU.
Enlargement policy played a very important role
in transforming those former communist countries
that have joined the EU since 2004 into states with
functioning market economies and democratic political
institutions. This process was the fulfilment of a
pledge made by the EU at the end of the Cold War
to the former communist countries of central and
eastern Europe. The guidance provided by the European
Commission and other institutions, as well as the
institutional and legal know-how offered by the existing
Member States, helped these countries to undergo one
of the most rapid modernisation processes in history.
40 %
1999
2008
2012
GDP per capita in the 12 ‘new’ countries that joined the EU in 2004
and 2007 as share of the GDP per capita in the 15 ‘old’ countries that
were members of the EU before 2004.
Free movement of persons
The free movement of goods, services, capital and
persons is a basic principle of the EU. This means
that all EU citizens have the right to work in other
EU countries. They can live in other EU countries
when they have a job or have enough money to
take care of themselves. At the same time, in a
recent case of a Romanian woman who moved to
Germany for the sole purpose of claiming social
benefits, the Court of Justice of the European Union
made it clear that the free movement of persons
does not include benefit tourism. It concluded that
she was not entitled to these German benefits
(‘Elisabeta Dano against Jobcenter Leipzig’,
November 2014).
© European Union
Whilst the free movement of people is controversial
in some countries, the GDP in the ‘old’ EU countries is
estimated to have increased by almost 1 % in the long
term as the result of post-enlargement mobility. Mobile
EU workers pay more in taxes than they claim in social
benefits. There is no evidence that ‘benefit tourism’ is
widespread or systemic. The EU does not harmonise
national security or social assistance schemes, so that
each EU country can freely decide which benefits it
grants, to whom, under what conditions and for how
long.
52 %
50
40
Economic growth in the 'new' Member States was about
4 % a year over a long period of time. It is estimated
that this had the effect of adding 0.5 % growth per
year to the ‘old’ Member States, because they profited
from increased trade with the new countries and from
investing in companies in these countries.
60 %
60
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Growing organically — from lower Austria to the Czech Republic
Johannes Gutmann is the founder and director of ‘Sonnentor’, an organic herb, tea and spice company in
Austria. The company grows and collects products from over 150 organic farmers, packaging and selling them
under one logo. Sonnentor has a strict policy with regard to sustainable regional development and supports
small rural holdings which have a long tradition in the Waldviertel district of lower Austria.
Johannes Gutmann: ‘The 2004 EU enlargement was a milestone in our development. We had already had a
subsidiary in the Czech Republic since 1992, but with border restrictions gone, both companies could grow much
faster. Over the past 10 years, the number of employees has risen from 45 to 225 here in Austria and from 20
to 85 in the Czech Republic.’ Since 2004 Sonnentor has been able to export to all new EU Member States and
buy a lot from them as well. Mr Gutmann further commented: ‘Relations have really developed over time and
enlargement has very much contributed to a better mutual understanding, trust and appreciation.’
Business changes that sit well with a Latvian manufacturer
Normunds Bremers is the director of ‘Wenden Furniture’, a company based in Jaunpiebalga, a small village in
Latvia. The company was founded in 2005, shortly after Latvia joined the European Union. Wenden Furniture
mainly produces chairs made of wood, and has reached a capacity of over 10 000 chairs a month. The
company strives to expand and develop the range of products to cater to different customers in different
countries.
Normunds Bremers: ‘Joining the EU has had many benefits, not only for me personally, but also for the
company. We export 98 % of our products, mainly to other European countries. Now that we are a part of the
EU, we have less bureaucracy and don’t have to fill in as many documents, but can instead concentrate on our
work. It also means that our products reach our customers much more quickly and easily. Business partners and
investors see us as a reliable partner, with whom it’s safe to work. Due to the fact that we are in the European
Union, business development is sustainable. Latvia might be a small country, but together with others in the EU
it offers many opportunities. The EU guarantees stability and development.’
You can find out more about some of the people you have met
on these pages by watching these videos.
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Collaborating today for cleaner energy tomorrow
At Sabanci University, graduate students and staff are currently researching cleaner ways of using coal. This
entails decreasing the levels of sulphur dioxide emitted into the atmosphere by removing the sulphur content of
coal before combustion. Researchers are combining genetic engineering methods with microbial desulfurisation
to improve the organic sulphur removal from Turkish and Bulgarian coal. The Bulgarian Academy of Science
also participated in the earlier phase of the research. The new process produces coal that is more
environmentally friendly and cheaper than the chemical and physical desulfurisation.
Professor Yuda Yurum from Sabanci University and Dr Gizem Dinler Doğanay of Istanbul Technical University
commented: ‘The research is still at the laboratory stage and is currently being tested. The next step will be the
pilot phase. The Bulgarian team, led by Professor Stefan Marinov, worked on two projects that have been
integrated into the study. It has been a fruitful collaboration and we hope to work with them again in the
future.’
A Serbian start-up with a bright idea
© EU
Breakthroughs in this area could help the EU make its coal consumption cleaner, especially now as this fuel is
seeing a resurgence in use in some EU countries.
‘Strawberry Energy’ is a start-up from Belgrade that
has developed a unique global technological
innovation — a portable mini solar charger called
the ‘Strawberry Tree Mini’. Converting pure solar
power into electrical energy, this innovative product
can be used to charge small portable devices on the
go, such as mobile phones, cameras and MP3
players.
Strawberry Energy is one of many new enterprises
supported by the Innovation Serbia Project (funded
through the EU’s Instrument for Pre-accession
Assistance), which aims to stimulate innovation by
funding early-stage, private, micro and small
enterprises. The team of young entrepreneurs is
currently looking to expand in the EU, stating: ‘We
truly believe that unlimited mobility of ideas,
knowledge and people are essential for everyday
processes. Not only can we gain new ideas, but we
also feel that we have so much to offer to people
across the European Union.’ The first Strawberry
Tree to be constructed in the European Union will be
installed in front of the European Parliament in
Brussels.
A Serbian start-up company has produced a portable solar
energy charger.
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From a small farm to an online business with EU support
When Poland joined the European Union in 2004, many feared that small and medium-sized family farms
would be crushed by global competition. They are still standing firm, however, and probably more so than ever.
Tomasz Obszański has a farm of 21 hectares which is located in Tarnogród, close to the Ukrainian border.
Tomasz explains his journey since Poland became a member of the EU. ‘I wasn’t sure, in fact, if it would have a
real effect on my daily life or not,’ he says. ‘After a few months, however, I began to appreciate that Poland’s
membership was a positive thing for me, especially when I realised I was eligible for funds to help develop my
farm.’
Tomasz wisely used these funds to turn his farm into a flourishing enterprise. He participated in an EU
programme in 2010 which allowed him to set up a new company to grow organic grain and produce high
quality organic oils.
© EU
‘Thanks to this fund I bought a grain press to produce organic oil in line with the European standards on organic
agriculture,’ he explains. ‘This made me stronger and ready to rise up to the challenge of an open economy.’
With sales steadily rising, he now sells his products from a local organic food shop to regional fairs, markets,
pharmacies and over the Internet.
The EU is Turkey’s number one import and export partner while Turkey ranks 7th in the EU’s top import and 5th in export
markets.
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© EU
The EU helps to fight crime
in the Balkans.
Prosecutors in partnership: fighting organised crime and corruption
Organised crime is a worldwide problem: to tackle it, strong international cooperation is required. In the western
Balkans, countries need to build the appropriate structures and experience to investigate and prosecute complex
criminal groups in an international context.
The EU helps with projects where prosecutors from EU Member States are seconded to the region in order to
provide their counterparts with ongoing advisory services. ‘International criminal gangs have efficient, wellorganised and adaptable processes with strong cross-border networks and are able to transmit information very
quickly. In general, we are always one step behind the criminals, but with well-functioning and strong networks
we can minimise this gap,’ says a representative of Austria’s Criminal Intelligence Service.
The impact of the project was felt across the western Balkans in April 2013 when special police forces from
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia carried out operation ‘Šetač’ (‘the walker’). The operation hit hard
the structures of a drug mafia operating in these countries. Dozens of suspects were successfully apprehended
and a large quantity of weapons and explosives were seized.
This project will not only benefit the prosecutors in the western Balkans — it will ultimately protect citizens who
have been affected by organised crime anywhere.
T H E
E U R O P E A N
U N I O N
E X P L A I N E D
Successive enlargements have played a crucial role
in safeguarding democracy and bringing stability to
the European continent. This was highlighted in the
reasons cited for the awarding of the 2012 Nobel Peace
Prize to the EU. Today, the policy continues to have a
stabilising effect in the western Balkans, and it is an
anchor for democratic reforms in Turkey. This political
transformation brings about real change on the ground.
Croatia’s accession is the best example: torn by conflict
only two decades ago, the country is now a stable
democracy, capable of taking on the obligations of EU
membership and of adhering to EU standards.
Of course, EU accession is not automatic: the process
is based on strict conditionality, with each step forward
based on real progress achieved on the ground and
agreed by all the actors. This is to ensure that a
candidate country is fully prepared for membership
before it is able to join. EU-related reforms are not
limited to the aligning of local laws to EU standards.
Respect for the rule of law, democratic principles and
human rights remain the focal point of the enlargement
process.
© EU
Outlook
Serbia has grown into one of the premier investment locations
in central and eastern Europe. Nearly 90 % of investments by
foreign companies in Serbia are made by European
companies.
Find out more
XX The European Commission’s website on enlargement: http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/
XX Questions about the European Union? Europe Direct can help: 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11
http://europedirect.europa.eu
NA-02-15-516-EN-N
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